Olympics Thread (Doping Scandal!?)

[Kannap]

thought the false start on the men's triathlon was hilarious. Really good.

[Sungoldy-China]

If we allow to use various technologies to promote Olympic performance, the Olympics will be more exciting and beneficial to the world.
The Olympic Games should not only be a competition for athletes, but also can be a venue for technological competition among countries

[The Two Jerseys]

Yes. It hasn't been proven. It's under investigation. Innocent until proven guilty

Sha'Carri Richardson is also innocent. She committed no crime.

Except she wasn't suspended for committing a crime, she was suspended for failing a drug test.

[Luziyca]

Ignoring the fact that China didn't cause a worldwide pandemic, the IOC tries to refrain from making political decisions and tries to act as a neutral body. Whether or not they succeed at that is up for debate, but on paper they try to be non-political.

But the biggest reason would be because its too near the date of the 2022 games. They're nearly six months away and it takes well over six months to organize and plan an Olympic Games. The IOC usually names the host 7 or so years in advance because that's how long it takes to organize these massive, extravagant events. In terms of number of nations and athletes and spectators involved, as well as hype and excitement involved, the Olympics are the biggest sporting event in the world. If you were to strip Beijing of the Games and award it to anybody else, six months wouldn't be enough to organize it. Effectively, the IOC would have to cancel the 2022 games and, as we've seen with them pressuring Japan to go forward with the Games instead of delaying them again or cancelling them, canceling the games is not an option.

"Pressuring Japan to go forward with the games" is pushing it as it is. No one warned them they'd be facing a worldwide pandemic when they agreed to host them. By comparison, in some countries, taking the condom off mid-intercourse after someone agreed only to protected sex would be prosecuted as rape. If Japan weren't the most advanced country on the face of the Earth they might not have been able to handle it, and the next few weeks will tell the tale of whether or not even THAT is enough.

But China DID cause this pandemic, whether by failing to enforce their own promised regulations on the wildlife trade or by failing to run their labs properly. To be "neutral" in wrongdoing is to side with the wrongdoer.

Ignoring the nonsense that China started the pandemic, given that the first COVID case in France was found to have been in circulation, long before the virus even left Wuhan, and given there is ample evidence to suggest COVID has been in Europe long before it appeared in Wuhan, your point about Japan being the most advanced country is ridiculous because fax machines are still super common there, and as we all know, fax machines are at the bleeding edge of technology. Plus, Norway is probably the most advanced country on Earth, given their human development index is at 0.957 in 2019 whereas Japan is at 0.919, which is lower than my homeland, Canada, which is at 0.929.

Sure, I do agree with you that Japan's much more able to handle hosting the Olympics, that is true. And I think that's why the IOC wanted them to not cancel, because a developed country like Japan would be much more capable of hosting the games in the middle of a pandemic compared to say, South Africa, where if we assumed COVID happened in that timeline as it did here, the IOC would've just cancelled it outright.

[Bombadil]

"Pressuring Japan to go forward with the games" is pushing it as it is. No one warned them they'd be facing a worldwide pandemic when they agreed to host them. By comparison, in some countries, taking the condom off mid-intercourse after someone agreed only to protected sex would be prosecuted as rape. If Japan weren't the most advanced country on the face of the Earth they might not have been able to handle it, and the next few weeks will tell the tale of whether or not even THAT is enough.

But China DID cause this pandemic, whether by failing to enforce their own promised regulations on the wildlife trade or by failing to run their labs properly. To be "neutral" in wrongdoing is to side with the wrongdoer.

Ignoring the nonsense that China started the pandemic, given that the first COVID case in France was found to have been in circulation, long before the virus even left Wuhan, and given there is ample evidence to suggest COVID has been in Europe long before it appeared in Wuhan, your point about Japan being the most advanced country is ridiculous because fax machines are still super common there, and as we all know, fax machines are at the bleeding edge of technology. Plus, Norway is probably the most advanced country on Earth, given their human development index is at 0.957 in 2019 whereas Japan is at 0.919, which is lower than my homeland, Canada, which is at 0.929.

Sure, I do agree with you that Japan's much more able to handle hosting the Olympics, that is true. And I think that's why the IOC wanted them to not cancel, because a developed country like Japan would be much more capable of hosting the games in the middle of a pandemic compared to say, South Africa, where if we assumed COVID happened in that timeline as it did here, the IOC would've just cancelled it outright.

Not that this is the thread but the virus probably started back in October..

And China put pressure on the IOC to continue with Tokyo for fear their own Olympics might be cancelled..

At a time when Japan is under mounting pressure to cancel or further postpone the Tokyo Games, support for the event has come from what might have once seemed a surprising direction.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach last week to pledge his support in ensuring the success of one of the biggest sporting events ever to be held in Japan. Xi offered to provide the IOC with Chinese developed Covid-19 vaccines and to help “build an effective barrier to protect athletes’ safety”, the state news agency Xinhua reported.

Link

China certainly doesn't want an Olympics cancelled due to a virus that originated with them.

[Kowani]

And Japan's Momiji Nishiya takes the first-ever olympic gold in women's skateboarding

[Bombadil]

Hong Kong badminton player criticised for wearing black shirt..

Link

[Forsher]

Hong Kong badminton player criticised for wearing black shirt..

Link

Oh damn, that wasn't at all the kind of article I thought it was going to be. Of course, I also misread it as "skirt" rather than "shirt".

And Japan's Momiji Nishiya takes the first-ever olympic gold in women's skateboarding

You know, I agree with my mother... skateboarding and surfing maybe shouldn't be Olympic sports.

Or, if they are, actually do things like competitive painting and dancing and whatever.

[The Archregimancy]

Nice to see that the British team has gone back to embracing those traditional Corinthian Victorian values that teach us winning things is just a bit smutty, and best left to foreigners who for whatever unseemly reason want to be seen to try very hard; perish the thought.

London and Rio left many of us just a little bit uncomfortable on that front. Personally, I always train with a pre-event brandy and cigar; which is surely all the preparation a chap really needs.

I wake up to find out that Great Britain and Northern Ireland has won three gold medals overnight; and that one of those medallists hasn't lost in his event for seven years.

Clearly this will not do.

Young Mr Peaty in particular should be sent to Van Diemen's Land for a few years to knock some sense into him. They'll never have any use for top-level championship swimmers in what I believe some are beginning to call 'Australia'.

[Esternial]

Seems like Google made a small minigame for the Olympics.

[The Huskar Social Union]

I see Ireland has not won any medals yet, hope we do well in the boxing. We typically do well there compared to a lot of other sports.

[Hrvada]

Can someone confirm weather or not they played the "Wide Putin Walking" song in the background during the ROC v. Latvia 3x3 basketball game. Pretty sure I heard it lol

[Sincluda]

Seems like Google made a small minigame for the Olympics.

"small" heh

[Forsher]

Factual facts about countries land South Korea Broadcaster in Hot Water Over Olympics Coverage

[Forsher]

I see Ireland has not won any medals yet, hope we do well in the boxing. We typically do well there compared to a lot of other sports.

Firstly, Ireland is performing in line with this website's instructions, er, predictions, I mean predictions. Secondly, Jesus, Ireland's expected to win four medals??

[CoraSpia]

I see Ireland has not won any medals yet, hope we do well in the boxing. We typically do well there compared to a lot of other sports.

Firstly, Ireland is performing in line with this website's instructions, er, predictions, I mean predictions. Secondly, Jesus, Ireland's expected to win four medals??

For a country that loves sport like Ireland does they're surprisingly bad at it.

[CoraSpia]

Bermuda has won its first Olympic medal since 1976, and it's a gold in the Triathlon. Annoyingly she turned down the chance to compete for team GB, or it would have been a British 1-2. Still nice to see Bermuda rank above Germany though.

[Bombadil]

Nice to see that the British team has gone back to embracing those traditional Corinthian Victorian values that teach us winning things is just a bit smutty, and best left to foreigners who for whatever unseemly reason want to be seen to try very hard; perish the thought.

London and Rio left many of us just a little bit uncomfortable on that front. Personally, I always train with a pre-event brandy and cigar; which is surely all the preparation a chap really needs.

I wake up to find out that Great Britain and Northern Ireland has won three gold medals overnight; and that one of those medallists hasn't lost in his event for seven years.

Clearly this will not do.

Young Mr Peaty in particular should be sent to Van Diemen's Land for a few years to knock some sense into him. They'll never have any use for top-level championship swimmers in what I believe some are beginning to call 'Australia'.

Can't but be happy for Tom Daley winning gold 12 years on from his debut at 14, after which he's been through a lot..

After talking about his dad’s cancer, Daley also told me how he was being bullied at school and that he had twice suffered a psychological meltdown before diving. He had withdrawn from an event in Germany while, in Madrid, he described being in the grip of Lost Move Syndrome – when he forgot a specific dive.

Our next interview, in 2009, covered similarly dark terrain and he sounded a little lost and lonely. Daley told me the bullying had worsened. His revelations became a story and, that June, he moved schools.

After his father’s death he was accused of allowing his media work to dilute his competitive focus but, as he showed in London and Rio, and especially now in Tokyo, Daley’s passion for the Olympics has always been searing.

He has also always been more than just a diver. His decision to come out and his subsequent engagement to Dustin Lance Black, who had won an Oscar for writing Milk, the biopic of the gay rights campaigner Harvey Milk, were far more important milestones.

Also HK won its second gold medal ever, this time in fencing.

[The Two Jerseys]

Shoutout to the Philippines for winning their first ever gold medal.

[Kowani]

In retrospect, the Japanese olympic organizers lying about the weather may not have been a great idea

[Australian rePublic]

Hey why does the United States get six different spots in the Olympics when countries like Italy only get one?

5x the population?

[Australian rePublic]

Titmus is a bloody legend! Even though she is a damned Queenslander!

[Pasong Tirad]

Shoutout to the Philippines for winning their first ever gold medal.

Indeed, our country's first gold medal ever. And we're assured of getting another medal as Nesthy Petecio, a boxer in the women's featherweight, just won her quarterfinals bout! Even if she loses in the semifinals she still comes home with a bronze.

If I'm not mistaken this also makes this Olympics the first time we've won more than one medal since 1932, when we won 3 bronzes.

[World Anarchic Union]

The Russian team had a very impressive run on the artistic team gymnastics, winning gold on both the men’s and women’s quite unexpectedly, the former the first time since 1996, the latter the first time since 1992, when they were the Unified Team. Would be interesting if the women team managed to reach the high point of the Soviet team, when it dominated the sport.

[Bombadil]

HK has another medal.. are we winning the medal - population ratio..?

This one's in swimming, silver, Siobhan Haughey.. odd name for a HKer.. her father is Irish and her mother Cantonese, born in HK.. and her Great Uncle is former Taoiseach of Ireland, Charles Haughey.

EDIT: Bermuda is killing the medal - population ratio given a population of 65,000.